BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The trial began Monday for the woman accused of killing her newborn grandson back in 2018 in order to "prevent family shame," according to court documents.
Beant Dhillon is accused of killing her grandson after her then 15-year-old daughter gave birth at home on November 12, 2018.
According to court documents, Dhillon and her nephew, 23-year-old Bakhshinderpal Singh Mann, allegedly found Dhillon's 15-year-old daughter had given birth to a baby boy in the bathroom of their family home, located in the 5200 block of Shining Crag Avenue in Southwest Bakersfield. Dhillon allegedly admitted to police that she then drowned the baby to "prevent family shame."
Hours later, Dhillon enlisted the help of Mann and her husband, Jagsir Singh, to dig a hole in the backyard of the home, court documents said. Mann and Dhillon then allegedly placed the baby into the hole, placed salt in the hole, and buried the baby.
Dhillon pled not guilty to murder, assault on a child younger than 8 resulting in death and willful cruelty to a child.
Her husband, Singh, was found dead inside the home on Shining CragAvenue in March of 2019, nearly a week after a baby's body was found buried in the home's backyard. He was found hanging in the home and the Kern County Coroner's Office ruled his death a suicide.
Mann has been charged with felony accessory to murder and still remains at-large. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says that Mann was in the United States illegally. Officers with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations are currently looking for Mann after he removed his GPS-monitoring device on Feb 27, 2019.
